Vietnam women's team and lessons after the excitement

This result caused the Vietnamese women's football team to be eliminated early, even though there was still the final match of the group stage against the Netherlands on August 1. But this was not a surprise, the regret was that we did not get the first point at the World Cup as expected, nor did we score any goals even though the encounter with Portugal was the target in the goal of getting points.

Of course, Portugal is not a weak team, even though they are also a rookie team, having the opportunity to participate in the World Cup for the first time like the Vietnam team. The proof is that Portugal's qualifying journey, including the play-off match, was no less difficult than what the Vietnam team experienced at the Asian Championship last year. But compared to the US, the defending champion, or the Netherlands, the runner-up, Portugal is the most suitable opponent for the Vietnam team in this group.

However, the actual challenge was far different from expectations and much more difficult, even more difficult than the game that the coaching staff and the Vietnamese teams had imagined. With the desire to score against Portugal and get points, the Vietnamese team was ready to play an open game, pushing up the formation in the first few minutes, but it was that overconfidence and excitement that made us pay the price.

When the defense of the Vietnamese team was somewhat shaky, not covering each other well, making individual mistakes, then conceding a goal was also something that had to be accepted. Kim Thanh still played with great effort, showing enough quality to prove why her name was noticed by the media and fans. But Kim Thanh's efforts alone could not help the Vietnamese team keep a clean sheet and conceding only two goals could be considered small compared to the dominance and the number of opportunities that the Portuguese team created.

The defense lacked the desired solidity and on the offensive front, the Vietnamese team could not deploy many sharp passes. Thanh Nha's speed or Bich Thuy's technical dribbling could not be used when facing the opponent's physical and alert defense.

Even captain Huynh Nhu, despite often dropping back to find the ball or create for his teammates, still had difficulty and rarely had opportunities of his own. Coach Mai Duc Chung sent Hai Linh, Van Su and Hai Yen onto the field in the second half to wait for the rebound from counter-attacks and not accept passive defense forever.

But despite doing everything possible, the Vietnamese team still cannot score their first goal at the 2023 World Cup, with 0 points and a goal difference of -5.

Becoming the first team in Group E to be eliminated from the 2023 World Cup, the Vietnamese team has learned many lessons for itself. When competing, you must have a goal, the highest is to win, then come the points from draws or more modestly, scoring goals and avoiding conceding big goals.

Up to now, coach Mai Duc Chung and his team are still persistently pursuing that goal, even though the remaining opponent is the runner-up Netherlands, the team with 4 points, which is another extremely difficult challenge awaiting the whole team ahead.

Confidence in football is necessary but also alertness is needed. With only 30% ball possession while the opponent has up to 70%, the Vietnamese team cannot play an open game with the opponent.

The lesson from the defeat against Portugal will stay with coach Mai Duc Chung and the Vietnamese players forever.

Lam Chi